An Italian Detour

I hope you are hungry.

Back in the infancy of being a writer, I had one big dread. Bigger than having people read my work if you can believe it, and that was social media. The idea of putting myself out there seemed frightening. Like standing on stage in my underwear frightening. Then to top it off, I was going to talk about being a writer before I’d a published book? What a recipe for disaster! But I had to face my fears.

These stories were too important for me to tuck away.

Fast forward to now and social media still messes with my mind a bit, but there’s one perk I never expected to come from it: some amazing long-distance friends.

Enter the beautiful and hilarious Mary Belle. She is a romance author based out of New York and though we were raised completely different, we have some VERY key things in common. We’re both quickly nearing 40, with a passion for cooking, a little girl at home, and a childhood full of boyband obsessions.

Believe me when I say my inner teenager was doing cartwheels over connecting with her. (Note the use of the word teenager here because let’s be honest, a cartwheel now would mean I injure myself).

Anyone else decorate a shoebox with magazine pictures?

But Mary and I share more than a love of Justin Timberlake. We both have a passion for highlighting place and culture in our writing. Me with the American Southwest and Mary with Italy. Her two books are set in Italy and trust me when I say they will make you immediately want to get on a plane after reading them.

Mary and I got to talking about our similarities in writing and realized we both love showcasing food in our stories! So we wanted to chat about it and share recipes inspired by our books.

What’s been so cool about chatting with Mary is seeing how our different upbringings led us both to be passionate women writing heartfelt stories. It’s a nice little reminder that there is more than one path to the destination in life.

So buckle up for a Italian detour with Mary and if you want a taste of the southwest, check out my responses here.

Mary, before we start, tell us about your books!

My books Vivi il Momento and Bella Vita come together for a modern-day version of the classic movie, Under the Tuscan Sun, combined with Netflix's From Scratch (minus the horribly sad ending).

Mia, an Italian-American from New Jersey, heads to Italy on vacation and accidentally finds herself in Gennaro’s bed. Whoops. Is it a fling? Is it the real thing? Their ability to "live in the moment" is put to the test as they explore two epic weeks together before battling the five thousand miles, and the strong-willed family members, that separate them.

It’s an unforgettable love story filled with heart, romance, some laugh out loud moments, and powerful life lessons.

Love that! So why Italian food? How has Italian food impacted your life so much that you wanted to include it in your books?

I don’t think it was possible to not include it. I’m Italian-American through and through, and what I mean by that is, family and food are king! I grew up having Sunday dinners at Nana and Poppy’s, i.e. eating all day long then having a giant shared meal in the middle of it.

Nana would start with a big ‘ol pot of meat and crushed tomatoes, somewhere around 4am. Yes, you read that correctly. As it simmered throughout the morning, it turned a slight golden brown, orange-red color, and hot damn, I can still smell it in this moment. Normally we’d enjoy mozzarella and tomato, olives, capicola and prosciutto, and sliced bread with olive oil ahead of time, then pasta with this glorious sauce, followed by nuts and fruit for uhm digestion maybe? Then it would end with any variety of Italian pastries like cannolis, eclairs, or napoleons.

Is your mouth watering? Because mine is and that, my friends, is how I was ruined with high expectations of food for the rest of my life. 

Yes, totally watering. So was there a food moment that inspired Mia & Gennaro’s story specifically?

When my husband and I joined my parents on a trip to Italy back in 2015, my life unknowingly changed. The beauty of Italy left an imprint and unbeknownst to me back then, would serve as the inspiration for my debut series. We spent most of our time at a villa in Tuscany which, in my opinion, was the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life.

The famiglia dinners at the villa proved delicious, from risotto to fresh pasta and tomato sauce, and the largest wheel of parmigiano-reggiano I’ve ever seen in my life. Tuscany felt like home, from the people to the food, to the warmth of the sun kissing our skin as we walked along the dirt road towards the lone Cyprus tree.

I was 5000 miles away from New York but felt like I belonged there. So eight years later, when it came time to write a romance story, I was transported mentally back to the rolling hills of Tuscany, and those meals. It’s where the story had to be told.

It seems obvious that food would be part of your books with how you talk about it, but I’d love to know why it’s important to you.

Quite simply, it’s a love language of mine. I’m lucky to be married to an incredible cook. Jay, my husband, encapsulates the very essence of my Nana. He shows his love by feeding people. And man, oh man, do I show my appreciation for it by eating it all. 

Since food is a cozy blanket of comfort to me, I wanted to give readers a sense of how much food plays a part in the lives of Italians and Italian-Americans. Our meals set the tone for the day, who we choose to spend our time with, and how we choose to relax, reminisce, unwind, and enjoy.

As you read Vivi il Momento and Bella Vita, you’ll find yourself hungry as you turn the pages. From the famiglia dinners at the villa, to the quiet dinners Mia and Gennaro enjoy together. A majority of their memorable scenes are topped off with, no pun intended, a specific drink or food. Its truly part of their story.

So give us the goods. Do you have a recipe from the book we can enjoy?

Yes! These Grilled Zucchini Roll-Ups are an Italian appetizer inspired by one I had on a rooftop restaurant in Rome. They are perfect for those who love Italian flair without indulging too much. It’s similar to a meal Mia had in Vivi il Momento, but hers was with pasta (which let’s be honest is way sexier than zucchini). I hope you enjoy it!

A big thanks to Mary Belle for letting us indulge in some Italian wanderlust. If you are interested in learning more about Mary and her books, check out Vivi il Momento and give her a follow on Instagram @mary.belle.books. 

I also recommend heading over to her website where she has tons of other recipes, cool Italian merch and resources for other authors looking to write a book.

And if you are itching for more, my responses (including a recipe straight from Chapter 30 of Chasing Dust), are available here.

Keep on creating,

P.S. If you make these zucchini roll ups, send pictures my way. 

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